The European Commission is ready to impose a fine of 2m Euros ($2.5m; £1.4m) a day on Microsoft. The Commission is expected to rule that Microsoft has failed to fully implement its 2004 antitrust decision. Under the ruling, Microsoft had to supply rivals with information about its Windows operating system.

Microsoft is well known for polluting protocols created by others and pushing these hybrid monstrosities aggressively out into the market.

Example?

MS doesn't compete on merrit, they kill competition by several tactics (bundling, Embrace/Extend/Extinguish, preloading) which give MS products the leg up against competing products.

The courts have already addressed all of those issues by forbidding MS from engaging in those practices. Forcing MS to open the protocols to competitors goes way beyond the court decisions.

The EU warned MS that these practises wouldn't be tolerated in the European market. They made it very clear that MS should comply with the ruling or be fined an X amount per day of non-compliance. MS stays in non-compliance and now we should feel sorry for poor old MS, because they are an American company that is being piled on by Europe? MS should play by the rules of the markets they operate in.

And, needless to say, this ruling will primarily benefit European competitors.

Just because MS is the biggest supplier of Operating Systems and Office software for average users doesn't mean they can ignore laws without consequences.

This ruling which orders opening the protocols isn't a law. It's an arbitrary exercise of power by the EC.

> The courts have already addressed all of those issues
> by forbidding MS from engaging in those practices.
> Forcing MS to open the protocols to competitors goes
> way beyond the court decisions.
Say, US courts and Bush administration ? Did it change anything ?

> This ruling which orders opening the protocols isn't
> a law. It's an arbitrary exercise of power by the EC.
US court ruled the same. But Bush administration excercised its power to render that ruling useless.